A 17-year-old suspect accused of abducting a young woman from outside a Tuscaloosa mall, and then robbing and raping her surrendered this afternoon.

Lawmen have searched for Cedrick Lamar Collins since the Friday morning attack. He turned himself in at the Tuscaloosa police department and now is being questioned by detectives. "He has been a little more difficult to find than we anticipated,'' Tuscaloosa County Metro Homicide Capt. Gary Hood said earlier today. Several agencies, including the U.S. Marshals, were helping in the search.

Tuscaloosa police were dispatched at 7:30 a.m. to University Mall on McFarland Boulevard. The victim, a 19-year-old white female, told police she was sitting in the parking lot of the mall waiting to go to work. She apparently went in to work but was told they didn't need her for another hour, so she returned to her car to wait. That's when, police say, Collins walked up to her car and asked her to use her cell phone.

The young woman agreed and the suspect got into her car. Collins then told the victim he had a gun, and ordered her to drive to an ATM machine and withdraw money. He then forced her to drive to an abandoned property off of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, where he sexually assaulted her.

The suspect fled the area. The victim called police and was taken to DCH Regional Medical Center where she was treated for injuries.

Collins and the victim didn't know each other, police said. They were able to quickly identify him as the suspect, but said they can't yet release how that happened. "It was not difficult,'' Hood said.

Investigators obtained warrants against Collins for first-degree kidnapping, first-degree rape and first-degree robbery. Collins is described as a as a black male, about 6-feet tall and weighing 160 pounds. He has brown eyes, black hair and a medium complexion. Authorities said he should be considered armed and dangerous.

The victim, authorities said, has already left the state to return home. "It was traumatic for her,'' Hood said. "We're hoping for the best for her."